Advisory Board

Jennifer Leigh Adams

Sal Babbino

Sal Babbino is the co-owner of NYS Collection sunglasses New York. With over nine years of retail and wholesale experience Mr. Babbino is currently Director of Planning and Operations for the industry leading sunglass company. He began his Specialty Retail career in the heart of Manhattan and has fostered the growth of NYS Collection worldwide. His continued commitment and hard work ensures that NYS Collection will remain the Leaders in Style.

Shai Benamo

Shai Benamo is the Chief Executive Officer of Nova Point of Sale, a worldwide leader in point of sale systems for the retail industry. Shai is a well-known veteran in the specialty retail industry and brings a wealth of knowledge from his years in retail sales, training, partnerships, and owning a store chain with more than 30 locations. He is highly experienced in running management training programs for kiosk owners and is a recognized leader on a range of topics including business development, process improvement, and integrating technology in retail management. Using best practices and techniques from his training seminars, he set out to develop the all-in-one point of sale solution for the cart and kiosk industry – Nova Point of Sale. The system enables the retail owner to convert impulse shoppers into repeat customers, which results in less aggressive sales tactics and a steady increase in sales. Since launch, the software has experienced dramatic growth and is now used at thousands of retail locations worldwide.

Liad Biton

Liad Biton 33, is the Chief Executive Officer of CSS LivePOS. LivePOS® was developed in 2001 and is now the leader in Point of Sale Solutions for the Cart and Kiosk Industry; with over 11,000 customers and 50,000 daily users in 20 different countries.

Liad is a serial entrepreneur and a speaker on the topics of retail technology, computerized management solutions, and business innovation. At a young age Liad is continuing to expand his business success together with his teams around the globe (USA, China, Philippines, and Israel).

Michael Brielmann, Partner, the Solar Giant

Michael Brielmann is a partner at The SolarGiant, the world’s leading importer, manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of the SolarX, PolarX, and Gift Giant brands. The SolarGiant services more than 500 malls with designer sunglasses and personalized Christmas ornaments and related accessories. Additionally, the company services more than 3,500 active customers, including shopping mall anchor Nordstrom, big box retailer Toys R Us, mail order catalogs Lillian Vernon and Miles Kimball, and many more of your favorite brands. With facilities in Cleveland, Buffalo, and New York, The SolarGiant currently inventories more than 2,500 different items, including world famous sunglasses, piggy banks, Christmas ornaments, and Christmas stockings. Michael currently serves on the advisory boards of both SPREE and ICSC Fusion, and volunteers extensively in his local community to support schools and children’s hospitals.

Heidi Cardall

Heidi Cardall is Senior Director- Specialty Retail with CBL & Associates Management, INC. CBL is one of the largest and most active owners and developers of malls and shopping centers in the United States. Heidi has been with CBL for more than 12.5 years; and oversees the Specialty Retail operations in more than 46 regional malls in 13 states with responsibilities of varying specialty retail capacities for 86 regional malls/ open-air centers.

Offering over 22 years experience in the Specialty Retail industry both as a retailer and a developer, she has held positions in management, been a trainer, retail owner, visual merchandiser, gift buyer, national leasing manager, and now a senior director for a major mall developer. Heidi is an active member of the ICSC and served on the former Specialty Retailing Conference Committee (now FUSION) for 3 years. She was a co-leader of the education committee during the Specialty Retailing Conference in 2007. She is also an active member of the Specialty Retail Report Advisory Board.

After receiving a BA degree in Marketing from University of Central Florida and taking classes such as Consumer Behavior, Retail Management and Retail Marketing, it wasn’t surprising that Heidi ended up with the position she is in today. Growing up in Orlando, FL she insists she was sprinkled with pixie dust at birth! She smiles most of the time, loves life, loves the people she meets and works with and still loves her job!

Suzanne Cayley

Suzanne K. Cayley is Vice-President, Specialty Leasing and Partnerships with Ivanhoe Cambridge. Ivanhoe Cambridge is a pre-eminent Canadian-based global property owner, developer and investor. Ivanhoe Cambridge owns, manages and develops a portfolio of some 70 market-dominant regional and super-regional shopping centres, totaling more than 46 million square feet of retail space throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Suzanne has been with Ivanhoe Cambridge for 15 years; and oversees the Specialty Leasing and Partnership department in Canada and Europe.

Offering over 24 years experience in the Specialty Leasing industry, Suzanne is an active member of the ICSC and served on the former Specialty Retailing Conference Committee for 5 years. She was Chair of the Specialty Retailing Conference in 2007 and is serving on this year’s FUSION conference committee.

She is active volunteer in her community, sailor, skier and mother of two daughters, Courtnay 23 and Sarah 18. Happily married to Chris for 26 years. And after all these years in the industry – she still loves coming into work everyday!

Shawn Feinblum

Shawn has over four years of experience in Specialty Retail as Director of Business Development, National Accounts, & Vending Management at Westfield. The Westfield Group has interests in and operates one of the world’s largest shopping centre portfolios. The global portfolio has 124 high quality regional shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil valued in excess of $59 billion, with approximately 25,000 retailers in more than10.5 million square meters of retail space. Prior to this Shawn received operational shopping center insights while working in the National Operations Department at Westfield. His four years of National Account Management in the Specialty Retail & Vending division result in the oversight of $20M+ annually. Prior to starting his career at Westfield he completed an MS in Real Estate Development from New York University as well as a BA in Economics/Business from Yeshiva University in New York.

Jeff Gern

Jeffrey Gern is a Principal and Vice President of Sales for Bella Group. Started in 2006, Bella Group designs and manufactures carts, kiosks and trade show exhibits worldwide.

Prior to Bell Group, Jeff acted as an Account Executive and Vice President of Sales for T L Horton for six years. He has worked for a variety of store fixture manufacturers and rolled out stores for Southwestern Bell, Fastsigns, and a variety of retail chain stores.

Before specifically working with the specialty retail industry, Jeff was an engineer and marketing manager for HON Industries office furniture for 10 years and holds design and engineering patents for office furniture.

Jeffrey has a BA in Business Economics and Marketing from Edinboro University.

Ben Goldfarb

Ben Goldfarb is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Creations Global Retail (“CGR”). Founded in 1963 by M. B. Goldfarb, CGR is a global leader in the design, manufacture and installation of Retail Merchandising Units and Kiosks for Shopping Center Malls, Lifestyle Centers and Airports. A global reach has been made possible with the advent of yet another initiative, a partnership with Creations Asia Shanghai Trading Company, based in China. This partnership positions the organizations to leverage 20 years experience, garnered through involvement in the growth of Specialty Retail in North America, toward significant participation in the rapid expansion of retail in Asia and other parts of the developing world. Creations Asia’s team works in tandem with CGR’s Dallas-based team performing design, estimating, sourcing and project management. Combined they have the ability to deliver leading edge and value-based custom design throughout the world. Ben holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin, has four grown children and resides with his wife Elaine in Dallas, Texas. He has proudly served on numerous boards of charitable organizations.

Max James

Founder, owner, CEO of American Kiosk Management which manages Proactiv carts in 420 shopping mall locations internationally. Managing Member and Partner of North American Kiosk, which owns the 420 Proactiv cart operations. Graduated from the US Air Force Academy and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Active in the specialty retail industry since 1997.

Marc Feldman

Marc Feldman is Developers Diversified Realty’s Senior Vice President of New Business Development. In this role, Mr. Feldman is responsible for ancillary revenue initiatives at all 640 Developers Diversified shopping centers. Mr. Feldman, a Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS) and attorney, is frequently quoted on ancillary revenue trends in real estate, with articles appearing in the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Shopping Centers Today, Financial Times and Chain Store Age. He has lectured on solar related issues at numerous industry conferences, such as ICSC’s Green conference in Los Angeles and the Open Air Conference in Orlando. He is also an active participant at Specialty Leasing conferences, including ICSC’s Fusion Conference and SPREE. Mr. Feldman recently accepted the ICSC’s International “Best of the Best” award and a MAXI Gold award for the company’s solar program.

Prior to joining Developers Diversified, Mr. Feldman managed advertising and sponsorship programs for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association and he also practiced law. Mr. Feldman, a graduate of Michigan State University and the Chicago-Kent College of Law, was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of Cleveland’s “Forty under 40″ leading business professionals. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the Advisory Board of Specialty Retail Report and the SPREE trade show, and on the Northeast Ohio American Cancer Society Golf Classic committee.

Deborah Kravitz

Deborah S. Kravitz is a partner in Provenzano Resources, Inc, (PRI) a retail real estate consulting firm providing specialty leasing programs, management, leasing, training seminars, and retail development for shopping centers, lifestyle and entertainment venues, airports and retailers. PRI owns and manages the high profile Third Street Promenade Specialty Retail Program, redeveloped in winter of 2005.

Rob McCoy

As Senior Vice-President and CEO, Rob’s responsibilities include development of marketing strategy, sales management and new product development for STAK Design, Inc., an international custom design and manufacturing firm offering solutions for the tradeshow and retail industries.

A graduate of Ball State University, Rob is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), a Senior Certified Marketing Director and serves on the Fusion planning committee for ICSC.

David Palomo

More than 15 years of shopping center experience. Currently employed with General Growth Properties as a Group Vice President, Business Development, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, overseeing some of the countries most successful shopping centers; Fashion Show, The Grand Canal Shoppes, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, Meadows Mall, The Boulevard and Red Cliffs Mall located in St. George, Utah.

Anita Saleh

Anita Saleh, Vice President, Specialty Leasing for Taubman Centers Inc., has been an industry leader in Specialty Leasing for more than a decade.

Since she joined the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman in December 1997, she has spearheaded the creation of a new department as well a comprehensive specialty leasing program for RMU’s, kiosks and temporary in-line stores at 30 Taubman shopping centers nationwide.

Saleh came to Taubman from Compass Retail in Atlanta, GA, where she spent five years as Vice President of Specialty Leasing. During that time, she created a start-up Specialty Leasing Department for the organization.

Saleh has also worked in various capacities in retail and commercial real estate for Equity Properties & Development Limited Partnership, First Capital Financial Corporation and VanKampen, Morris and Stone (VMS) Realty Partners, all Chicago based companies.

Born and raised in Chicago, Saleh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University of Chicago.

Shannon Shinn

Shannon Shinn, Vice President of Short-term Leasing, is responsible for the short-term leasing activities for 37 malls within Simon Property Group. She oversees the performance of 12 short-term leasing representative, monitoring the use of carts and kiosks, maximizing leasing of vacant inline space and developing unique retail and service concepts. Simon Property Group is the largest publicly traded retail Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in North America and the country’s largest owner, developer and manager of high quality retail real estate, primarily regional malls, Premium Outlet¨ centers and community shopping centers. Through its subsidiary partnerships, it currently owns or has an interest in approximately 296 properties. Simon also holds interests in 58 properties internationally.

Taki Skouras

Taki Skouras, 35, is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cellairis®, a wireless accessory company headquartered in Alpharetta, GA specializing in protective and fashionable mobile accessories.

Taki has over 15 years of financial management and operational experience and has worked in a variety of industries including real estate, franchising and national retailing. His diverse background has enabled him to best analyze all aspects of a business to help identify areas for improvement and develop solutions.

With plans for Cellairis® to open their 1000th store location by the end of 2012, Cellairis® strives to provide exceptional, personalized service at one of their convenient, cutting-edge store locations throughout North America, Canada and Europe. Taki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Florida and resides with his wife, Emily in Alpharetta, GA.

Jennifer Thomas

Jennifer Thomas is Director of Specialty Leasing for Morguard Investments Limited. Morguard is one of Canada’s largest integrated real estate companies with a diversified portfolio of more than $9.2 billion in properties owned or under management.


With over 14 years of shopping center experience, Jennifer started her career with Cadillac Fairview holding various roles in Customer Service Management, Marketing and Specialty Leasing. Joining Morguard in 2004, Jennifer currently oversees the National Specialty Leasing program in more than 17 shopping centers across Canada. In this role, she is responsible for establishing national partnerships, implementing new corporate strategies, and maximizing revenue across the portfolio.

Jennifer is a member of the ICSC and a registered salesperson with the Ontario Real Estate Association.